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Survey shows employers playing it safe with recruitment in tough times

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Thursday, 12 September 2019 15:46

The Citizen reports that the overall South African employment outlook for the fourth quarter of the year stands at +4% hiring prospects, according to the latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey.

The survey indicated that employers had soft hiring intentions for the last quarter of the year. While 10% of employers anticipated an increase in payrolls, 6% expected a decrease and 82% saw no change. Lyndy van den Barselaar, MD of ManpowerGroup SA, commented: “As we move into the last quarter of 2019, South Africa’s economy continues to be weighed down by factors such as slow economic growth, policy uncertainty and a high unemployment rate. This can translate into businesses exercising caution around hiring and spending-related activity, which is reflected in 82% of responding companies expecting to make no change in their hiring strategies during the October to December timeframe.” She said the Eastern Cape employers forecasted the strongest labour market, reporting a net employment outlook of +7%, while outlooks of +6% and +5% were reported in KwaZulu-Natal and Free State, respectively. “There are currently initiatives taking place in the Eastern Cape that are focused on the development of the region that are well-placed to create employment,” noted Van den Barselaar. She mentioned that the Coega Special Economic Zone in Nelson Mandela Bay recently announced it had secured an additional 18 investors during the 2018-19 financial year.

Read the full original of the above report by Gcina Ntsaluba at The Citizen